//------------------------------// // Chapter 16 // Story: Raindrops' Wrap Up // by Arkensaw Pinkerton //------------------------------// The cupcake with the little balloon is just too amusing not to go for. It's extremely light, and when you pick it up Pinkie lets out a delighted squeal. You cautiously bite into it, and- BANG! The cupcake bursts with an enormous pop, spreading confetti and streamers across your face and the ground in front of you. It's only slightly quieter than Pinkie's raucous laughter, which immediately follows. "You picked the balloon cake! Oh, that's the super funnest fun cake I know how to make! You're day's sure to be a blast!" She giggles again. "Do you get it? Because it was a balloon! And it burst all over your face!" "Yeah, I get it. Hilarious." You curse inwardly. You skipped out on picking your job for the day to have some pink maniac burst a balloon in your face, and now Cloud Kicker is going to head up the weather team and turn into your boss and make you stay inside when it's raining and- "You should probably go and pick your job, Raindrops. It's sure to give you the funniest day!" "I'll wait until the speech is over," you say, grinding your teeth. "I don't want to interrupt. It'd just make her madder and then I'd get stuck on Junior Weather Patrol duty again." "You wouldn't interrupt at all!" Pinkie says, bouncing up and down. "The speech ended four minutes ago. Those balloon-cakes really pack a punch! You were all woozy for about ten minutes and then you snapped back to your senses." You bite back the insult- you don't have time for an angry tirade right now- and charge out of the bushes towards the main square. Every other pony in the weather team's gone off to their jobs except the boss, who's waiting for you with a big smile on her face that in no way reaches her eyes. "Good afternoon, Raindrops!" "Boss, I'm so sorry. I was here early, but Pinkie-" "Pinkie being Pinkie is no excuse, Raindrops. You're last. You know what that means." "Oh, no, boss, please-" "Oh wow! It'th Mith Raindropth again! Hi Mith Raindropth!" Rainbow smirks at you and takes flight as the Junior Weather patrol congregate in front of you. You remember some of the names- the filly with the lisp is Twist, and as far as you can recall she's the only one who actually likes you. Dinky is Ditzy's little girl, you remember, but last time you did this she didn't speak a word to you. Snips and Snails, the two unicorn colts in the group, are more trouble than they're worth and Diamond Tiara and her little minion are the sort of snooty little fillies who you always used to hate. The rest of them are new, or at least unfamiliar, to you- a lanky Pegasus colt with a feather cutie mark, and three blank flanks standing in the rear with matching capes. They look really enthusiastic, you realise as your heart sinks. "You have confetti on your face!" One of them shouts cheerfully. "Oh, Yeah." You start pulling it out of your mane, but it's sticky with sugar. Most of it's stuck fast. You make a mental note to stab every cupcake in future before you bite it, and another mental note to drop Pinkie from a great height. "Tho what are we doing today, Mith Raindropth?" Twist asks you with a big grin. It's not a bad question- literally the only job the Junior Weather Patrol have to get done is de-icing the fountain in the main square. Any other work, you have to beg, borrow or steal from the weather, animal and plant teams, and if you take on something too big or complex these foals won't miss an opportunity to mess it up. You've got to think of something to do with them. Preferably something that involves being quiet and getting Miss Raindrops a big glass of wine. To get the fountain de-iced before bugging the other teams if you've got time, Click here for Chapter 36. To ask them what they want to do in the hopes of killing a little time, Click here for Chapter 37. To set the Junior Weather Patrol ferrying snacks and drinks to all the other working ponies, Click here for Chapter 38. Requests closed for this chapter! To go back a step, Click here for Chapter 5.